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Author Topic: lamb advice please-Update  (Read 3288 times)

Penninehillbilly

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • West Yorks
lamb advice please-Update
« on: June 30, 2012, 01:01:33 am »
Hi
Ikeep goats, but wanted some lambs for a few years now.
had 2 cade lambs given, both small. I've had them about 2 weeks, started on replacer and got them onto goats milk.
Black one will take however much milk I would give it, we know its at least 3 weeks old, it's already got longish horns and its hooves had grown and closed over underneath. It's getting about 350ml 3 times a day, 4 when I can manage it. its always calling for more.
White one wouldn't suck, very light and weak, but does eat coarse lamb mix and drinks water. I've been feeding it by tipping the bottle up holding chin while the milk trickles down, at first I was giving 100ml 3 times a day, but it always scouring, I dropped to 50ml per feed, droppings firmed up.
Yesterday it suddenly decided to suck! however it's now scouring again. The other looks to be a bit mucky as well.
I do try and feed at 38c, sometimes maybe a degree cooler by the time I get bottle over to the barn.
Any advice please? how much should they be getting, bearing in mind we don't know how old they are, the weak one is obviously younger than the black one.
Would worming help? or could that be too much for weak one.
Is goats milk OK?
would they be better on creep feed (pellets) they do leave quite a bit of the coarse mix.
 
I thought tonight white one's eye didn't look just right, hope to have a better look in daylight, but looked half closed and bald round it.
But at least it's a bit livelier than when it came, been tugging at my jeans tonight  :)
Hope you can help
« Last Edit: July 22, 2012, 02:19:38 am by penninehillbilly »

jaykay

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Cumbria/N Yorks border
Re: lamb advice please
« Reply #1 on: June 30, 2012, 02:34:49 am »
Good news that your little one is now sucking  :thumbsup:

Try feeding the milk cooler, and add live yoghurt, an 8oz pot per 2 litres milk.

Goats' milk is good for lambs, so that's fine  :goat:  :sheep:

Personally I let pet (cade) lambs have as much milk as they'll take, for quite a lot of weeks, though I know some others do it differently. And I let them eat a bit of coarse mix and hay too, as they want to take that as well.

tizaala

  • Joined Mar 2011
  • Dolau, Llandrindod Wells,Powys
Re: lamb advice please
« Reply #2 on: June 30, 2012, 06:44:53 am »
The light one may not have had colostrum, it might pick up as long as it is eating, just keep it warm and dry with as much milk as you can get down it, would it suckle your goat if you don't strip her out ?

omnipeasant

  • Joined May 2012
  • Llangurig , Mid Wales
Re: lamb advice please
« Reply #3 on: June 30, 2012, 09:16:32 am »
1) Lamb pellets would be better than coarse mix especially if you have to stop feeding milk.

2) Can you get hold of something called spectam (or spectlam) which comes in a bottle and you give a squirt down their throat. We have had a lot of success at clearing up ifffy tummies with that. Vet might give you a bit in a syringe as it is expensive to buy for one lamb or your neighbours might have some.

3) If it has missed it's colostrum you might be in trouble on the immunity front.

4) Nothing wrong with goats milk for lambs. I usually feed no more than 300ml. If the light one won't suck very much it is probably feeling poorly. Might need anti biotics.

5) I swear by life aid if it isn't doing well on milk (ie still scoury) replace one feed with lifeaid which has glucose and electrolytes. Again you might ask the vet for a small ammount. That usually perks them up.

Everything crossed for your lambs.

Penninehillbilly

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • West Yorks
Re: lamb advice please
« Reply #4 on: June 30, 2012, 02:48:18 pm »
Thanks all,
forgot to say they do get and eat hay, and I do cut some grass for them when it's dry.
I think they are a bit rough suckling straight from goat, I'd probably have a bucking goat anyway! :o
Maybe it could have missed colostrum, it must have suddenly appeared in the pen, my friend didn't know it was there so her husband must have just brought it in,
Missed the feed merchants today, will go tomorrow to get some creep feed, how long do they stay on the pellets?
Do you wash a mucky back end and legs or wipe down with damp cloth (+disinfectant?), I'm concerned about chilling it
Now we've had a good look in the daylight, shocked to see the skin under it's throat, I'm sure it wasn't like that a few days ago, it was warm and I made a little pen out in the sun and carried them out. It had a little bald patch but nothing like this -
 

omnipeasant

  • Joined May 2012
  • Llangurig , Mid Wales
Re: lamb advice please
« Reply #5 on: June 30, 2012, 03:04:51 pm »
Don't know what the rash is, does anyone else?

I would use kitchen roll to clean off the mucky back end. If it is very woolly you might be best to clip the wool. Messy job though. Beware of fly strike.!!! The flies were buzzing around my sick lamb's tail until we put some krovect on her.

jaykay

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Cumbria/N Yorks border
Re: lamb advice please
« Reply #6 on: June 30, 2012, 03:07:48 pm »
Those look like cleg bites or something. Might just be a reaction to midges. Poor little thing is having a rough time isn't she  :-*
Mosiguard, or Barrier fly repellent will help.

Penninehillbilly

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • West Yorks
Re: lamb advice please
« Reply #7 on: June 30, 2012, 03:27:39 pm »
Thanks - I did wipe both back ends down with a very mild solution of Jeyes fluid, not seen a fly problem in their pen yet, hoping the smell keeps them away. I'll have another cleanup this afternoon.
If there was milk dribbling down the chin could this cause a skin problem? (Been more concerned about getting milk inside her than where the rest was going, then she would be off into the corner, hated me till Thursday night) I seem to remember calves got a bit bald round their noses, didn't see how bad it was till enlarged on the screen.

Penninehillbilly

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • West Yorks
Re: lamb advice please-Update
« Reply #8 on: July 22, 2012, 02:24:46 am »
Hi just thought I’d give an update on little lamb, I dropped the milk temperature to 36deg, dropped amount to no more than 75ml and took it up slowly again, reading a goat book Kaolin was mentioned, so gave her a little by squirting it in her mouth. Her little face as she was passing anything was almost funny if I didn’t feel sorry for her, her ears went back and you could see the grimace as she strained, She’s now much brighter, droppings are still a just a bit soft but much better, and she’s getting impatient for the bottle, nibbling my fingers insteadwhile I feed the other, we’ve gone up slowly, still only just over 100ml 3 times a day, sometimes an small extra feed in the evening. There is water available, creep pellets and hay, fresh grass when it’s dry. The skin under her chin has cleared up, so I suspect it was something to do with milk dribbling down. They are both unlikely to make up much, I'm sure they are no bigger now than when I got them, and she is still very light, but it’s a step on the ladder. Next year I hope to get something sooner and learn from this year.

 

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